AGE OF DELUSIONS: IS REALITY REALLY AN ILLUSION?

When humans first gained consciousness, I believe, they only had to behold reality as it appeared, and to make speculations from what they saw, heard, perceived, and felt. The world faired well. Our present age has destroyed this wall and has erected the false doctrine of complete falsities.

        Today, our world is perverted with series of talks on the inconsistency and frailty of human perception, how we create realities that do not exist and never will. The great thinkers tell us that our senses altogether deceive our minds, and now, we are drawn the more to the conclusion that nothing really exists—that all things are ILLUSIONS.  How true?

      I marvel at this level of insanity. It began slowly with a few affronts against religion, pronouncing the belief in heaven and the Creator as false, delusive—illusive. A man has written a book called, The God Delusion. Today, men do not only declare heaven “not real,” the earth, the entire universe, according to our own modern quantum physics, is also declared inexistent. Today, we hear also that the idea of individuality is yet another illusion.  “Not real,” “Not real” has filled the mouth of real humans who are supposed to be living in a real world. All blames strictly go to our senses: that there are faulty, that they present false realities to us, and that nothing is actually what we think it is. Indeed, according to these new beliefs, nothing is truly real. Amazing!

     But, if everything we perceive is an illusion, if nothing is real, if the entire universe is just a sensory make-up, what is this great “thing” that knows that all things are not real?  Can a deception spot out deceptions? For certain things not to be real, other things must surely be real. If nothing was real, there could not have been a “Not real,” and finally, it is our very knowledge of reality that gives birth to the knowledge of illusion. Therefore, for one to say that all things are not real is to make a great blunder, for the speaker must be real to know and SAY that all things truly don’t exist. The senses deceive, yes; our minds deceive; yes—but not always, and not in regards  to ALL things.

      Perhaps, our senses and minds lead us to false perceptions, but we can actually not know that our perception is faulty without the same senses and mind that once misled us.  It is clear therefore that we can’t do without these, and therefore can’t completely condemn these great organs and declare them worthless.

     I see to it therefore that all things are not illusive. How can we ever KNOW that everything is false, except there is at least one real entity—our knowledge or our cognizant being? This sort of speculation or science, though quite appealing to the mind, are but human madness at its peak; nature, logic, and faith certainly do not agree to this hilarious “delusions” doctrine.                                                

A JOURNEY TO NOWHERE

                                      

         All is said and done, and we have come to be born, in this other world of odds. But there is more ahead; ample realities lingering to unfold; all creations waiting for our manifestation.

                  Brought into being by reason of eternal reason, to be that which we were created to be, many have sung the praises of this divine design; and have we not heard, that we are on a journey, that the world is not our home, and that all earth is like a giant Jerusalem or Mecca? O, and now I know that I am a pilgrim, too—sent not into one of these hallowed nations on earth, but to earth itself. Indeed, all have embarked on this journey: you and me, and all of humanity. Though amidst a host of skeptics, who see no reality beyond mere matter and mortal mind, our truth, this very divine journey, remains ingrained in our hearts.

               But are we indeed on this sacred path, and is God still visible on our screen of thoughts and deeds? And if this be a journey, what shall its end thereof be? What shall befall our other self when this feeble self sinks below? Yes, this is the question that so frequently sticks to my mind, as the sun springs up at each dawn. And, long ago, the answers had danced into my mind, and now I know. For there is a glorious magnificent place ahead of that soul who shall, beyond the odds and dirt of this vile world, take the path of the creator and achieve the ultimate purpose set before him or her. O joyful world: a world of glamour and unmatchable grandeur.

                Who shall reach this graceful destiny? Only few…very few; for humans below are full of vanities. The path of life, many have strayed away; the love of God has in many hearts decayed. And now, are we still contemplating these fantastic lingering realities, when here on earth, many of us still live like dead things, thinking of no eternal journey, nor giving room for godliness? Many have left the safe shore, and have dabbled into the ocean of endless doom, yet, still hoping to ascend a ladder  which their very lifestyles have rendered inexistent.

              Fruitless, futile ventures have flooded the fertile mind of humans, and souls are lost in the thick forest of wrongdoings, hunting but shadows of dead antelopes, seeking solutions where there is none. At 5.am, the clocks tick in clamors, and many humans scuttle to cars, boats, trains and planes, heading to cities and nations, to work, and work, and be worked for. Writers write, thinkers think, teachers teach, students learn, doctors prescribe, lawyers speak, and the architects design mansions and scrapers. Everyone is busy—none seems idle anymore. Money is cultivated and wealth is spilled within and afar; families are still raised, and funs abound as more funds emerge.

         Things have fallen apart; or have they not? The world of music has fallen beyond repairs, and obscene beings have become the role models of the young ones.  Vain trends have stained our days. Addictions of terrible hierarchies, heinous acts have filled the human mind, and pervasive politics have polluted pure piety. Who still thinks of that beautiful land of wonderful bliss, the golden destination of humankind? Is there still a journey, and are we still among the pilgrims? I shall not speak for all. Let each soul answer this question. For if we remain on this path of nothingness and vanities, it is certain, that this journey shall unfailingly lead many humans to unparalleled tragedies. 

         O, alas I send my plea: may our journey on earth not in the end, be like a journey to nowhere.

THE AGE OF KNOWLEDGE

        This is an age of intense curiosity and of knowledge—an age with various advantages but with more disadvantages. The rate at which knowledge is sought for and gained, which has become a predominant feature of this age, brings us to the conclusion that increasing curiosity is a key feature of civilization. This is historically true: when we consider the level of knowledge that existed in about 2500 B.C when the Egyptians were building pyramids, and the level of advancements obtained today

     Today, too many people just know too many things; and it is as if everybody wants to know everything. Even the little child wants to know as many things as he can. No knowledge is any longer sacred. What was previously true is now declared orthodox and new truths have emerged. The “traditional” models are now condemned both in the scientific, philosophical, and religious sphere. It seems, also, that it has become a duty for men of this age to look for means to flaw all existing paradigms of truth, and to create new standards, or, in most cases, no standards. The human being, deciding to learn everything, has now made everything his teacher.    

     Today, there are thousands of Aristotles and millions of Albert Einsteins.  There just seem to be too many stars. The very idea of being a star has therefore lost its original value. People each day want to dig into deeper truths, to know what caused what, and to predict what shall happen to what. Mysticism, spiritualism, quantum knowledge, is on the rise. The universe is no longer as big, and life is no longer as sacred as it used to be, because man thinks that he has finally arrived at the central truth about everything. This is an age when seminars, schools, books, and conferences of all forms abound. Inspirations run to and fro, and each hour, new books emerge to meet the demand of avid readers.

     The internet has served both as a bane and as a blessing in the realm of knowledge. Anybody can know almost anything just by the click of a button. As such, knowledge becomes cheaper as each day unfolds. The little stress which previously accompanied the acquisition of knowledge is eradicated to a great extent, and scholarly studies and research have become like a child’s play.

        Knowledge id good, and so should its age, but our knowledge heads rather towards the wrong direction. It is clear that the “knowledge” of the Age of knowledge is largely the self-centered kind of knowledge, which aims at making us better, making us richer and more knowledgeable. Knowledge has therefore increased because of the increasing desire to pursue power, fame, recognition and wellbeing. Due to the egoistic competition in the realm of knowledge, it becomes rare for people to openly accept that they don’t know. As such, there are many people who will never know that they really don’t know.

     Not so many people are interested in the knowledge of God, the creator; compared to the great number of people who are sacrificially ready to know about the mechanics of the world He created. People want to know science more than they are willing to know the giver of science—God. The want of knowledge has blinded our hearts from the lovelier and loftier things of life. Where knowledge increases at the expense of good virtues, disaster becomes imminent.

WHY DO WE NEED GOD?

                                

    Many of us claim to love God. We constantly tell Him how much we love Him and how much we can’t do without Him. We trust His guidance and abide by His principles, trusting that He knows the best for us. While some people discard the belief in God, others still hold unto it tenaciously; they can go as far as martyrdom to defend the belief in God. The question now is, what makes God (as an idea and as a being) necessary to humanity? Simply put, why do we need God? And why do you, the reader, hold unto God, or why don’t you?

            God is good. So, do you need God because He is good and thus desirable? Does it therefore mean that because we humans have a longing for what is good and what is excellent, we need God because He is good, excellent and perfect? Do we then need God because we need these finer elements of life?

         Mortal existence is almost entirely fateful. Sudden disasters and troubles constantly cause turbulence to the human heart. The world, as we know, is no longer a safe place. Is this why one must need God, why one must love God and must pray to Him? Do we need God for security and protections, that our lives may not be lost in horrible ways? Is God here only to save us? Had He no other purpose in mind when He created us? Couldn’t we have assured God our total submission if He had not assured us safety?

       God helps us to succeed. Is this why we should need Him—because we have some goals to achieve and we believe God is the best instrument for such goals to be achieved? That means if we had no desire to succeed in certain endeavors, there probably would have been no desire for God. Is that true? Do we need Him because He is a God that blesses His people? Do we need Him not because of who He is but because of what He can offer us?

       We, in our present age, speak of God as if He is an instrument for humans to achieve their vain selfish goals. Does God not also need us? Is He up there only for us that are down here; and does God exist for nothing but our goals and needs? Who actually needs who? I think God also needs us; He first needed us; that’s probably why we were created. God needs us because He created and owns us, and we need God because He is our creator and source, and because we cannot fulfill His purpose for our lives without Him. This alone is why we need God. We need God because He is God.

    In our prayers, in our worships, in our devotions, fewer thoughts should be given to our affairs, our security, our wellbeing, and our various worries. But more thoughts should be given to God—who He is and for what purpose He created us. We are not here to use God, rather, God created us to use us.

     God does not exist for man, but instead, man exists for God. After all, God existed before we came into being. There could not have been an entity called, “us” without God. We need Him therefore because He needs us and requires our submission. If we can’t reason that way, it is because we are still in the shell of ego, and thus keep thinking that everything comes from us, is with us, and exists for us.

    Our creator cannot be our instrument. The instrument cannot decide the purpose of its maker. It seems that humans have wanton desire to make God a means, and if possible, a servant, but it can’t just work that way. However, the next time I go to God in prayer, I will bow in humility and tell Him, “My maker, I’m all yours. Do unto me as you desire and help me to do your will at all times.”             

ETERNAL DEVOTION

                                 

   In the beginning we were not; if we were, we were nothing. And if we were nothing, there was no us. Suddenly, God spawned the cosmos, paving the path for the feet of mortals. From nothingness, we emerged; from chaos, we were formed, by the one who knows all and can do all.

    Could we have been anything? Could we have known anything, or could we have performed the great duties of today, if we were not first created by this great creator or transformed us from nothingness to “somethingness”?  If indeed, He brought us here, we ought to live for Him, and act as it pleases Him—not us.  We often speak about obedience to God,  and forget that we owe more to God than obedience. Yes, we must obey Him when He commands, but God always commands, and man therefore has to obey Him every second. This is devotion—always living for the divine. Obeying God every second of our lives is a great task. I said, “Every second.” But such obedience that occurs every second, 24 hours a day has gone beyond the boundaries of obedience, and hence, should be given a more fitting name. This is what I call Eternal Devotion. It is eternal because we are referring to God, and because our devotion will surely continue after this life. Devotion to God is the highest good of every creature, and should be the highest yearning of humans.

    Without God, there could have been no you. Therefore, if you are not living for God, you’re not living at all.  

     Here are we, as conscious sons of mortal men, thinking the thoughts of flesh and blood. But beyond our transient life stands a higher, more glorious life. For hereafter, this ancient earthly veil shall be lifted, to lay bare the more spectacular sphere of being. All that we know is not all that there is. What we know is great, but that which we don’t know is far greater. What we see is specious, what we have not seen is eternally spectacular; with such splendor that surpasses all thoughts.

    Deep within my veins are urges, desires, divine instincts, constantly drawing my mortal soul to immortal realities. Each passing day, I think of an unknown as though I fully know it, and of the unseen as though fully beheld. I learn soon enough that we are not what we think we are—evolving apes from broken cells. I see a hand, I feel a being, and constantly hear a call from a divinely symphonic voice.

   An eulogy to the creator: He who brought all things into beings, and beings into life, who controls the forces of the cosmos and directs the path of stars. What a great God He is, great beyond measure, in words, in being and in deeds. What are we living for, if not to lift our soul to the golden throne of our creator, to worship Him at all times and sing psalms with instruments hands have never touched? What place have we in constant toiling and running, for the sake of wealth and comfort, instead of sitting still for a moment or two, to think the deeper thoughts and feel the force of eternal comfort.

     How I wish men gain wisdom soon enough. Of what use are our sundry efforts in life, and the myriads of inventions that lurk in our cupboards, if we refuse to give regards to God—the one whose strength we bear, from whom we became visible entities? How long shall it take, for humans below to set their minds on things above? When will arguments be sent to grave, for truth to resurrect and shine into all souls? How long will men stop pondering if there is or if there is no God, and reach forth to this great creator, to give unto Him His due adoration? I have seen folly in the mask of philosophies, and childish rebellion in the form of wisdom.

    I have kept arguments in the dungeons where they belong, and have crippled the leg of laziness. I will be busy no more, doing everything and achieving nothing worth eternal worth. My soul, spirit, body and mind is consecrated to God, to love and to serve, to follow Him where he leads, and to speak forth His wonders to all creations. I long to behold Him, as I behold the sun in the sky—and clearer than that. To Him I will sing a new song, and in poetic form, speak deep things to Him.

     

   I pray , "Show me the way, to worship you in truth, and to serve you with the life you gave me."